With air traffic expected to increase four-fold between now and 2050, a global fleet of composite planes could help reduce carbon emissions by up to 15%, a value researchers say roughly corresponds to current emissions levels.

At any one time, up to 80 new steel grades are under development at ArcelorMittal. The person responsible for these advanced-development activities is Greg Ludkovsky, Vice President of Global R&D. Ludkovsky spoke with Automotive Engineering this fall at the AM/NS Calvert plant in Alabama, which the company touts as “the world’s most advanced steel finishing facility.”

Toho Tenax has developed a new prepreg that offers super-high-heat and -oxidation resistance suited to aircraft and automotive engine compartments. The supplier also recently released a new rapid-curing prepeg for increased productivity.

The use of lead in engine bearings for light-duty vehicles was banned in the European Union from July 1, 2011, bringing widespread changes in coatings. Although heavy-duty engines have not yet been subject to similar legislation, Federal-Mogul believes that it is only a matter of time before they are.

Composite supplier Toray Industries signed an agreement to expand its current contract for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to include the 777X wings. The addition of the 777X to the current 787 contract represents a significant increase in the material provided to Boeing by Toray.

Making the most of new materials is the aim of every automaker: Audi is among those demonstrating how it can be done—for example, by employing glass-fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) springs on its A6 Avant.

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have successfully completed a series of hot-fire tests on an advanced rocket-engine thrust chamber assembly using copper alloy additive manufacturing technology. Full-scale demonstration is the next step in the technology’s development path.

Boeing on Oct. 21 celebrated the groundbreaking of its new 777X Composite Wing Center at the Everett, WA, campus. Permitting for the new 1 million-ft² facility was completed seven weeks earlier than anticipated, allowing for an accelerated start to construction.

Novelis has officially opened what it claims is China's first plant dedicated to the production of heat-treated aluminum automotive sheet, making the company the only one producing automotive aluminum sheet in all three of the world's major automobile producing regions: Asia, Europe, and North America.

Automakers are racing to cut the cost of lightweight materials that help boost fuel efficiency. In this week's SAE Eye on Engineering, Senior Editor Lindsay Brooke looks at the U.S. and German automakers' push for low-cost carbon fiber.

Small Off-Road Engine (SORE) fuel tanks traditionally have been blow molded in high-density polyethylene (HDPE), but HDPE on its own does not meet the new stringent permeation regulations. Of all commercially available solutions to reach the EPA requirements, monomaterial PA6 technology scores the highest when it comes to the combination of permeability, process stability, mechanical properties, and costs, according to DSM.

A racecar fitted with a prototype rear suspension will compete in the Sports Car Club of America's 2015 season as a proof-of-concept demonstrator for using thermoplastic composite suspension components in future light-duty vehicle production applications.